<p> This exploratory study uses the convergent design of mixed methods to integrate adaptive expertise theory to study how individual student participant from graphic design or non-graphic-design majors to solve a novel ideation problem in graphic design. Adaptive expertise includes six dimensions: metacognition, flexibility, dynamic knowledge, ability to welcome challenges, efficiency and deep understanding of the domain knowledge, and multiple perspectives. Those are desired qualities for a learner to stand out in the global market that are constantly changing with complex challenges. Thirty undergraduate students participated in this study. This study aims to answer four questions: types of graphic design tool and strategies selection and reasoning, similarities and differences among four participant groups, influences of participants&rsquo; performance from the prior-experiences, and other potential preconceptions and situations to their reasoning. Four results are identified. Frist, 11 rationales contributed to participants to make their tool usage decision and strategies. Second, participant with more varieties of prior experiences in graphic design would potentially have significantly higher confidence level in their adaptive expertise. Third, participants who performed better in this study, obtained more thorough reflection in design thinking. This result shows that this task requires domain-dependent expertise. Forth, participants&rsquo; performance found affected by several non-cognitive preconceptions such as uncertain challenges, adapting in the new work space, and stress management. Future studies need to increase the number of participants to potentially increase statistical significance of the results, and to identify the relationship among factors that affect participants&rsquo; performance and exhibition of adaptive expertise. Implications of this study suggests the need to expose learners to diverse types of graphic design experiences and novel tasks/contexts. </p><p>

This study examined factors influencing participatory research team effectiveness in aging in place (AIP) design (Stokols, et al„, 2008). Although research on AIP design characterizes AIP as collaborative process, there are few studies on the factors that affect collaboration in participatory research applied to AIP. This study used a qualitative narrative strategy in a multiple case-study analysis conducted from a transdisciplinary research (TR) perspective. The case-study focused on the factors that enhanced and constrained Open n Prototype Initiative (OPI) team effectiveness. TR is a precise type of teamwork of integrative endeavors, focused on the science and society interface, and aimed at knowledge-based contribution to life-world problems (Wiesmann et al., 2008). This study found that TR team (TRT) effectiveness in OPI was contingent on six factors that constrained and eight others that enhanced collaboration (Stokols, et al., 2008). The conclusions provide a foundation for developing guidelines for designing, managing and evaluating successful TR (Stokols, et al., 2008) in AIP.

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Animation as a medium has broad appeal based on its ability to convey stories in universal ways. This art form bridges cultural barriers that allow relationships to form through shared interests. Music also shares similar traits. Based on the global understanding of music and its history of use in film, the conclusion is the acceptance of different musical tastes can parallel acceptance of differing ideologies. When clashing ideological beliefs cause societal conflict, it is essential to remember that friendships cultivate through commonalities. The purpose of this study is to create an animated short film that presents the story of two very passionate characters who overcome distinctions in their preferred musical genres to form a companionship. Producing this film involved creating environments, writing characters with opposing personalities, and developing a musical score that accentuates the characters' emotions and actions.

By the documenting and examining things that are often overlooked in everyday life, I try to find the beauty of these objects, of people, their lives and their homes. I am interested in the current technology and the influence of the easily transmitted image. What is the truth and reality of the images shared by the current youth culture because of the use of camera phones, digital image takers, and the constant image transmissions through online social networking venues such as My Space and FaceBook? The current digital image is no longer a precious object as it was in the past. The easy accessibility of technology and the growing popularity of an affordable camera have made these images a common object, easily replaced. It is my interest or concern with this technology that led me to my final body of work, images of this youth culture.

The animation short I have produced is very personal on the subconscious level. There is no single theme; the narrator is the viewer. It is a dream sequence aiming to achieve Kafkaesque quality. About four minutes long, combined with dynamic music this piece of work is my reaction to society, to my life, ever changing surroundings, my traveling, childhood memories, and man-woman relationships, education, feelings, everyday worries, and everything else that I at the moment of producing felt like adding. It is suppose to be a portrait of me inside. I tried to recreate the everyday chaos of thoughts, emotions, and actions. I went after flashes of nightmarish images, short actions, every image being different. Although I know plenty of useful software and technological tricks, I want to go beyond the technique. I do not want to choose only one style and be forced to stay with it, as I work. Psychologically, it let me discover who I am. It served my development as an artist. The chaotic mirage I created, should force the viewer to make up their own interpretations, and thus feed their creative and analytical mind, and search for their own ego as well. By being as creative, loose, and constantly in touch with my subconscious sphere I opened new doors to new paths, in hope to help people understand each other better.

I create images in a painterly manner illustrating a visual dialog, which suggests simultaneous moments, yet are actually a separated collision of moments and time. I have stretched these ideas from a slowed manipulation of time, to a calculated capture of segmented moments. My work undermines the importance of the decisive moment theory. This theory was the catalyst for my new series, VISUAL STAMP. "The decisive moment, it is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression." - Henri Cartier-Bresson I am conveying space and time on a single plane in a similar way to how we perceive, process, and retain information visually. The discarded moments in our perception are what I am interested in capturing. We do not view life in a frozen millisecond. Contemporary modes of perception involve the sensorial experience of viewing thousands of movements in small bursts of time that are often left behind, and forgotten. By layering images I am illustrating gaps from one moment to the next. My interest in using the insignificant event to create an aesthetic has become a personal visual stamp. This series embraces the discarded aspects of our visual interpretation of the objects and places we see in everyday life.

The effect of high molecular weight carboxylate ligands as compared to naphthenate ligands on the effectiveness of transition metals as additives for reducing soot particulates was studied in the combustion of diesel fuel and distillate fuel oil by use of a laboratory scale burner. A mechanism involving pseudoheterogenous catalytic reactions is proposed. A simple system to evaluate fuel additives by burning only a few milliliters of oil was designed, developed, and used. Polybutene with an average molecular weight of 920 was the raw material in this study. The polymer was oxidized with KMnO4 to the corresponding acid from whose potassium salt the transition metal-polymer complex obtained. Special treatments were required during the synthesis because of unique viscosity and solubility properties exhibited by the polymer. The oxidation was carried out in the presence of dicyclohexane 18-crown-6 ether as a phase transfer catalyst.

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